New York Landing
by avan337
Summary: One-shot "London Calling" post-ep fic


_Post-ep fic to "London Calling," picks up where Betty and Daniel were left speaking in Daniel's office._

"At least I know all my ex-boyfriend craziness is behind me."

Daniel chuckled. "That's a good thing." He looked up at her, "Hey, are you tired? Jet lagged?"

"Not yet," Betty replied. "I'm actually kind of wired right now."

"Do you want to grab some dinner?" He hated eating alone and hadn't looked forward to take out by himself at his apartment.

"Sure," she shrugged.

He finished up what he was working on and they headed out. "What are you in the mood for?" Daniel asked.

"American!" she answered giddily, eliciting a laugh from him.

He picked a diner and they settled in a booth. Daniel recounted his night with Tyler while they waited for their order.

"Geez, I'm sorry it turned out like that," Betty said sympathetically, "Your mom definitely should have told you he was an alcoholic."

"No kidding," Daniel agreed. "What I can't get over is Cal Hartley not wanting to know his own son. I knew he was a bastard, but even I didn't think he was that bad."

Thinking of Cal Hartley made Betty think of Matt, and she didn't want to think about Matt. "So, what are you doing to find Tyler?" she asked.

"Mom's calling everyone she could think of that he knows in New York, and I've hired a private investigator," he answered.

"You should keep one on retainer," she joked.

"Thought about it," was his serious response.

As they ate their burgers, Betty finished her story of seeing Gio in London. She carefully left out the part about her interview with Lindsey Dunne and the realization that she did not want to continue writing about fashion.

"So now you go around punching out playwrights, drinking too much beer and flashing guys in bars," Daniel said, teasing, "Who _are_ you? Where's the girl who used to order a banana daiquiri and then not finish it?"

"I'm still me," she answered with fake annoyance. "I'm just a little…bolder…now."

"You're formidable," he countered.

"Formidable," she repeated with a smile, eyebrows raised, then she quickly followed with, "Wait a minute, I don't know if I like that."

"I just mean you're more sure of yourself," he said, leaning back and taking a long look at her. "You've come into your own."

Betty suddenly felt uncomfortable. She didn't know if it was from what Daniel was saying or the way he was looking at her, almost as if she were a new person to him.

"Anyway," she said as she twirled the straw in her glass of soda, "how strange was it for us to run into Gio in London, when his sandwich shop is just a few blocks away from the office?"

Daniel sensed her embarrassment; she was never good at taking compliments, at least not from him.

"Did seeing him stir up any old feelings?" he asked, letting her change the subject.

"Not really," she replied, "It was weird to find out he's getting married, but that has more to do with where I'm at in my life than any feelings I had for Gio."

He scoffed. "C'mon, do you honestly wish you were getting married right now?"

"No!" she answered quickly. "But seeing how happy Hilda is, and hearing Gio's story…it just made me realize how much I want that. Someday."

"You'll get it," he assured her.

Betty wondered if he was thinking about Molly. "What about you?" she asked, "are you seeing anyone?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I met this girl named Trista the other night. She's really nice. We'll have to get together for drinks so you can meet her."

"Sounds great," she replied.

"That is, if you can restrain yourself from flashing everyone in the bar," Daniel added teasingly.

She narrowed her eyes. "Ha, ha, I'll be on my best behavior," she replied, "And really, do we want to start talking about the embarrassing things you've done when you were drunk?"

"Hell no," he shot back, "I gotta keep you happy so you won't blackmail me with that information."

Betty briefly thought about mentioning her desire to write for another magazine, to see if he was open to transferring her to another Meade publication. But her head was starting to get fuzzy, and she knew that a friendly dinner wasn't the time to discuss business.

Daniel could see she was fading, so he hailed a taxi. Once inside, Betty closed her eyes and leaned her head back. He gently elbowed her and said, "I'm glad you had a good time in London. Thanks for going."

She turned her head and briefly opened her eyes to look at him. "Thanks again for letting us go." She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "But it is good to be home," she said, yawning.

Daniel chuckled softly to himself as he felt the weight of her resting against him. From that angle, she seemed much less like a savvy professional and more like the young girl he once met. Part of him missed that girl, but he was happy to know the woman she had become.

When they arrived at her apartment building, he nudged her. "Hey, I'd like to think I could carry you up five flights, but I'd probably end up in traction."

Betty rubbed her eyes and took a moment to remember where she was. "It's okay. I'm up," she answered.

He walked her to her apartment and listened for the turn of her key in the deadbolt before heading back downstairs. As he sat back in the taxi the driver asked, "You didn't want to stay with your girlfriend?"

Daniel laughed out loud. "She's just a friend," he replied. "A very formidable friend," he said quietly, staring out the window as the driver pulled out onto the street and headed for home.


End file.
